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A total of 73,080 trees have been planted in Narrow Hills Provincial Park as part of forest renewal efforts following a recent wildfire in northern Saskatchewan.
Five workers planted 60,120 jack pine trees and 12,960 white spruce trees between July 7 and 15, replenishing parts of the park burned by the fire.
“These trees will help to kickstart the renewal process that Narrow Hills needs following the wildfires that devastated the park,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross said. “Creating a safe, natural environment is a step toward reopening the park for future visitors to enjoy.”
Along with the newly planted trees, various grasses, shrubs, and deciduous trees such as trembling aspen, white birch and balsam poplar are also beginning to grow in the area.
The next phase of forest renewal will involve aerial seeding, dropping seeds from aircraft to efficiently cover a wider area, targeting other sites affected by the Shoe Fire.
The Landscape Protection Unit within the Ministry of Parks, Culture, and Sport has been conducting forest renewal projects in the Pine Lake area of Narrow Hills Provincial Park since 2022. However, when the Shoe Fire swept through the area, it destroyed most of those earlier renewal efforts.
While wildfires are a natural part of forest renewal, the trees planted before the fire were too young to produce seeds, preventing natural regeneration. This tree planting project is designed to emulate the natural renewal cycle and support recovery.
The planting is part of a broader post-wildfire recovery plan aimed at reopening campgrounds in Narrow Hills Provincial Park by spring 2026.